Cockpit enclosure and release mechanism



Jan. 9, 1945., T. ULMER ETAL 2,367,075

I COCKPIT ENCLOSURE AND RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 15, 1941 2 Sheets-Shed. 1

I/v VENTORS P15000015 ULMER CHARLES E. SOWLE Jan. 9, 1945. T. ULMER ETAL COCKP IT ENCLOSURE AND RELEASE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 15, 1941 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 I W NTORS THEODORE ULMER CHARLES E. Sou LE BY w Patented Jan. 9, 1945 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE COCKPIT ENCLOSURE AND RELEASE MECHANISM Theodore Ulnier, ,North Hollywood, and Charles E. Sowle, Van Nuys, CaliL, assignors to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif.

Application October 13, 1941, Serial No. 414,748'

8 Claims. (Cl. 244-121) This invention relates'to an improved transparent enclosureor' canopy forairplane cockpits and the like, with special reference to the provision of a-plurality of means for normal entrance and emergency .exit therefrom.

trated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

In a copending. application, filed by Allan M.

McConnell and William E. Braham, Serial No.

424,640 datedDecember 2'7, 1941, is disclosed a.

cockpit enclosure of double paned construction especially designed toresist the bursting stresses imposed by pressurizing or supercharging the cockpit for highaltitude flights. The present invention relates to the provision of a convenient access hatch in the sealed enclosure, and the further provision of escape means for either abandoning the airplane in flight, or to enable the pilot to escape in the event the airplane turns over upon landing, thus preventing the use of the normal entrance and exit arrangement.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a ..cockpit enclosure or shell that is normally hinged along one edge and releasably locked along the opposite edge, to be opened in the manner of a door or hinged hatch, inside and outside latch releasing means being provided for th operation of the normal latch. It is a further object of this invention to provide a cockpit enclosure or shell of thetype described wherein the shell is hinged along one edge or side for normal access to the cockpit, and wherein the hinged side may also be released at will to permit bodily removal of the shell or closure 'when desired.

As illustrated on the drawings Figure I is a fragmentary perspective view of an. airplane control nacelle embodying a trans? parent" closure or hood having the features of this invention. s v J Figure 11' is, an enlarged transverse section through the closure or hood taken 'on the line II'Il.' of Figure I.

Figure 111 is an enlarged detail of the escape hatch latch" shown in Figure II, showing one of the quick release catches in side elevation.

Figure IV is an inside plan view of Figure III. Figure V is a section'on the line V-V of Fig ure IV showing the quick release mechanism.

Figure VI is a schematic diagram of the control linkages for-the latch and hinge sides 0 the closure or hatch.

As shown-- Wehave chosen to illustrate our invention as applied to a transparent closure, canopy, or hood for a pilots cockpit; the particular arrangement shown comprising a control nacelle or fuselage,

I!) supported from wings I l, a pilots'cockpit having a forward windshield l2 and a transparent closure or shell I3 to give side' and vertical vision. For the purposes ofthis invention the closure or It is another object of this invention to provide aclosure or shell of the type described that is normally operated as a hinged access door or hatch, but that can be released on the latch and binge edges simultaneously te -allow the closure to blow or fall off to permit the pilot to abandon an airplane in flightshould occasion so require, it 'being evident that a hinged closure could not be manually .opened, and held open during exit,

' I the specification and .the accompanying draw- 4 This invention 'in its preferred form is illus-,

shell l3 need not be transparent, nor of double ,paned construction, these features being embraced in a previously mentioned co-pending app1ication.-

For the purpose of-this invention the removable orhinged shell l3, together with its normally attached .escape hatch I4, is mounted in a frame l5 forming part of the structure of the control nacelle l0. One longitudinal edge ofthe shell l3 comprises a glass retaining'frame Hi hinged at H to a secondary frame 18 normally locked to the nacelle frame I 5 by a series of hooks l9 pivoted at 20 in the frame l5 and engaging pins 21 carried by the secondary frame [8. For convenience in further description, the hinged side of the shell l3 will be referred to as the right side,

.using the conventional forward looking terminology. This would place the hinge on the far side of Figure I and the left side of Figure II.

The opposite edge'ofthe shell I3 is formed as a glass engaging post 22 which cooperate: with a similar post 23 bordering the upper edge of the escape hatch l4, as-will be described in more detailhereinafter. The lower longitudinal edge of the escape hatch is provided with a frame 24 similar to the frame IS without the hinge, a. second set of. hooks l9, pivoted as'before, engaginr While we have described this invention in conpins 2| in the frame 24. This second set of hooks l9 will be referred to as the left side in what follows.

The posts 22 and 23-, betweenthe closure i3 and the escape hatch M, are normally locked together so that the members |3and i4 operate as a unitary structure. This is accomplished by providing a cover plate 25, on the post 29, which has a hooked lip 26 engaging in a groove in the post 22; a quick release retainer being provided on the inside to lock the two posts together. The retainer is shown in Figures III, IV and V wherein a pair of spaced links 21 are pinned to a bracket secured to the post 22, the links carrying a dog 29 at their free ends, which dog has a lug 30 eng ing in a hook 3| on a bracket secured to the post 23. The ,dog 29 is arranged to operate on the toggle principle but does not pass over center, so that the arrangement is unstable and is normally held in position by a pin 32. Several of these retainers are positioned along the length of the joint between the posts 22 and 23 and the correspondpins releases the unstable toggle arrangements to open by their own pressure or by pressure acting on the escape hatch.

For normal access to the cockpit the closure I3 and escape hatch H are unlatched along the left side; this being the near side in Figure VI showing the operating linkage. When so released the closure and hatch open upwardly about the hinge ii on the right side. In order to operate the several hooks IS on the left sidefin u'nison the hooks can be conveniently linked by a continuous cable 34 operating over front and rear pulleys 35 and 236 respectively. Anoutside handle 31 is provided to operate the front pulley 35, and an inside handwheel 38 is provided for the pilot's use. The right side hooks are similarly operated by an endless cable 39, only the rear pulley so being shown in Figure VI. For the right side, only an inside handwheel would be required, as it would be used only in emergency by the pilot, except during overhaul p riods. v

In an emergency, in flight, that required the pilot to bail out, the hooks on both sides would be released to allow the entire closure I3 and escape hatch E4 to be blown off by interior pressure, or thrust ofi by the pilot, as the pilot would be hampered in escaping if he had torhold the hinged closure open while climbing out.

- In order to provide for simultaneous operation of the hooks on bothsides, while permitting inpulley 36 moves with a, crank 4| linked at 42 to a cranked connecting shaft 43 similarly linked at 44 to a crank 45 free to rotate relative to the pulley 40. Thepulley 40 carries a dog engaging the crank 45 when the pulley 40 rotates clockwise in Figure VI, from the latched position-shown.

With this arrangement, normal operation of the left side hooks causes theic'rank 45 to move away from the dog 46 on the pulley 40; while emergency operation of the right side hogks causes the dog 48 to drive the left side pulley 3 to simultaneously release both sides of the combined closure l3 and escape hatch l4.

nection with a pilots transparent canopy or'hood, it will be evident that the combined access and emergency provisions of our closure can equally well be used at other locations, as in connection with'gun tiu'rets or blisters, passenger compartments, or the like, and for marine or automotive installations.

It will thus be seen that we have invent-ed an improved access and emergency arrangement wherein a normally hinged closure can in an emergency, or for service, be completely and simultaneously released from its frame, and in which a, portion of the closure can be opened independently oi the main closure to serve as an escape hatch.

Having thus described our invention and the present preferred embodiments thereof, we desire to emphasize the fact that many modifications may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In an airplane a closure forming a com bined access and escape hatch comprising in combination with a receiving frame and a closure frame, means for hingedly connecting said frames together along one side thereof, means for latching said frames together along another side thereof, releasing means forsaid latching means, sec ondary releasing means so constructed and arranged as to release the hinged connecting means from its frame, means including one of the latch edges of the closure and so constructed and ar- I ranged as to form a removable section normally ing movement independent thereof.

2. In an airplane a closure forming a combinde access and escape hatch includingnareceiving frame therefor, means for hingedly connecting said closure to theframe for pivotal movement relative thereto, the escapehatch being formed in said closure adjacent one edge thereof, emergency release means for rigidly connecting said escape hatch portion to the remainder of the closure whereby it normally forms part of the same, and latching means releasably engaging said escape hatch with the receiv ing frame whereby to normally control the opening movement of said closure and hatch as a unit.

3. In an airplane a closure forming a combined access and escape hatch including a' receiv-' ing frame therefor, means for hingedly connecting said closure to the frame for pivotal movement relative thereto, the escape hatch being formed in said closure adjacent one edge thereof, means for rigidly connecting said escape hatch portion to the remainder of the closure whereby it normally forms part of the same, emergency release means associated with said rigid connecting means, and latching means releasably engagins said escape hatch whereby to normally control the opening movement of said closure and hatch as a unit.

4. In an airplane a closure forming a bined access and escape hatch including a receiving frame therefor, means-for hingedly connecting said closure tothe frame. for pivotal movement relative thereto, releasable mounting means for said hinged means, the escape hatch being formed in said closure adjacent one edge thereof, emergency release means for rigidly connecting said escape hatch portion to the recom- hatch portion 7. In an airplane a closure forming a commainder of the closure whereby it normally forms part of the same, and latching means releasably engaging said escapehatch whereby to normally'control the opening movement of said closure and hatch as a unit.

- 5. In an airplane a closure forming a com-' bined access and escape hatch including a receiving frame therefor, means for hingedly connecting said closure to the frame for pivotal movement relative thereto, releasable mounting means for said hinged means, the escape hatch being formed in saidclosure adjacent one edge thereof, emergency release means for'rigidly connecting said escape hatch portion to the remainder of the closure whereby it normally forms part of the same, latching means releasably engaging said escape hatchwhereby to normally control the opening movement of said closure and hatch as a unit, and means for simultanee ously releasing said hinge means and said latch means whereby to facilitate complete release of said closure.

Y I 6. In an airplane a closure forming a c0mbined access and escape hatch including a receiving frame therefor, a hinged connection between one side of said closure and the frame, the escape hatch being formed in said closure along its' opposite or free edge, and means for releasably securing the closure and the escape thereof together to operate as a tion of the closure.

bined access and escape hatch including a receiving frame therefor, a hinged connection between one side of said closure and the frame, an escape hatch forming a portion of said closure along its opposite or free edge, means for releasably securing the two portions of the closure together to operate as a unit, said releasable securing means including an unstable toggle connection, lock for 'said toggle connection, and

emergency release means for said lock. whereby to release said escape hatch portion from the other portion of the closure.

8. In an'airplane a closure forming a combined access and escape hatch including a recelv- THEODOREv ULMER. CHARLES E. SOWLE. 

